Crazy 8...

Sydney has rapidly approached 8 months and I feel like before I know it she'll be one year old! AHH! So far, this has been one of my favorite times with her. She is such a chill baby and her smile will honestly make the most stoic of strangers beam back at her. Some facts of the crazy 8 month old that she is:

1. Nurses 4x a day but we've added formula into that mix--once a day with twice a day coming right around the corner. Never batted an eye and took the formula with no problem...however, she had expressed a temperature preference.

2. She's still rocking a very speedy army crawl with a few actual crawling moves thrown in. She knows how to get to Point A to Point B ...and fast.

3. She's starting to pull up--mostly to her knees but has the desire to get to a stand (she just hasn't gotten there yet). She can pull herself into a sit and I often go to get her after naptime to find her sitting in her crib smiling at me or on her knees hanging on to the side (note to self--lower crib mattress).

4. She loves solid food. We've started giving her puffs, cheerios, bread and a variety of fruits and veggies and she's seriously crazy for it. She hardly wants to eat her baby food if something else is on her try and when that tray is empty, cover your ears, because she's going to let you know. She gets this look of determination on her face and just starts shoveling it in--its unreal.

5. She has been testing her voice. Some days she does a lot of screaming (thankully that hasn't been consistent and we're hoping she forgot how to do it) but she's also starting some other sounds (da da da, oo oo, and a few others).

6. One of my fav things with Gavin was when you reach and he reached back--it has taken her a bit past 8 months to get this but is finally getting it. Prior she'd just respond but thrusting her whole body forward at you. Still, I love when they respond with a desire to be with you.

7. Grabby. Grabby. Grabby. She grabs everything - paper, plates, earrings, computer keyboard, strings, toys, hair, shirts, necklaces, nose, etc. She also can find the smallest of gross things on your floor and get it into her little tiny fingers headed for her mouth. Eww. (and shame on me for not cleaning my floor more?)

8. She has beautiful and delicious rolls all over her body. She is not thinning out. She is actually getting tan around her rolls while the creases stay stark white. I love her rolls.

9. She sleeps from 9-10:30 (give or take 15 min and I do wake her) and from 1:30-3:30 (ideally). She sleeps from 7 pm to 7 am. She's a good sleeper. However, if she does wake at night, rarely is it from distress--its b/c she's just awake and if you go in there, she will just give you the biggest of smiles and think its social hour. Nope, we don't put up with that in this house. So back to bed, at which point there is some major screaming and tantrum throwing...and eventually she sleeps.

10. She bounces all the time. She loves to bounce. She's just feeling the inner beat I guess.

11. Overall, I love this age. I love that she's so happy and giggly and fun. She laughs easily and often. I love the excitement on her face when she recognizes someone and how quick she is to interract. Sometimes she's a bit shy and hesitant to smile until she's studied your every feature but once those smiles start...they just keep coming.